After Dark
by Mackingtosh
Summary: Penny works up her courage and meets farmer Sarah at the baths to confess her feelings. Later, a date at the farmhouse turns steamy. Contains explicit lesbian smut.


Secondary warning: contains explicit lesbian smut.

Many thanks to my betareader moxymike.

Edit: Fixed some errors.

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The rosy dawn light was only beginning to illuminate the dirt path as Penny walked closer to the old farmhouse. She could just barely see the fields of crops, vibrant with the promise of the fall harvest. Distant silhouettes hinted at a collection of buildings, maybe barns or coops. There was a pleasant smell in the air of growing, living things, mixed with the earthy scent of tilled and damp soil. Furtively, she approached the mailbox, irrationally expecting some hue and cry to be raised at her presence. But that was silly. People came here and left notes all the time. Why should she be any different? Still she hesitated, the slip of paper held tightly between her fingers before shoving it into the mailbox and raising the flag. Penny swiftly walked away, her stomach in knots, queasy with excitement and nervousness.

The note read: _Meet me in the baths after dark tonight. Penny._

Tonight. She was going to find out tonight.

With hands trembling only ever so slightly, she donned her bathing suit in the empty changing room. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirrors and took a moment to study herself. She was slim and pale, her ivory skin offset by the brightness of her fiery hair and green eyes, and the bathing suit showed off what curves she had without seeming to flaunt them. She gave herself a quick smile and turned to go, content with her appearance. It was only fall, but she could feel the winter chill nipping at her skin in the night air, and she fairly danced across the cold tiles to the baths, keeping her feet on them for only as long as necessary. It was never crowded here, even at the busiest of times, and now it was completely empty. The only noises came from her footsteps, and they echoed in the open space. She sank gratefully into the steaming water, feeling it coax out the tension from her muscles as it massaged warmth into her chilled body. She loved the baths in the cold weather. It was one of the great parts in living in Pelican Town. She floated on her back, her shoulder-length hair making a red halo around her head. Time passed as she waited, warm and content in the water.

Her sincere moment was interrupted as she remembered why she was waiting. To meet farmer Sarah. To ask _that_ question. Penny suspected, she hoped, she wanted so badly for Sarah to feel the same way. That those gifts, those sweet conversations, that kind nature was not just her way of friendship. That maybe there was something more in those gentle green eyes when Sarah glanced her way. She wanted those strong arms to hold her tight. She wanted to weave her hands in that short brown hair and-

The sound of the changing room door opening startled her and set her heart pounding painfully fast. She straightened up in the water, barely touching the bottom of the pool on her tiptoes. There, emerging through clouds of steam, was Sarah, wrapped in a practical navy-blue two-piece swimsuit. As modest as it was, it still revealed much of her well-built, athletic body, toned and tanned from working all day on her farm and marked here and there with old scars. Penny swallowed heavily, her mouth suddenly dry as Sarah paddled over, waving a hand just above the surface in greeting.

"There you are…" Her voice was small and almost overwhelmed by the noise of the water, and she forced herself to speak up. "I was worried that you didn't get my note." Sarah smiled at her warmly, her face open and inviting, handsome even without any makeup. Penny turned away, unable to meet her gaze as she felt blood rush to her cheeks. She struggled for something to say, anything to break the silence that wasn't _that_. "It looks like we're alone."

"Yeah. It's quiet out here at night," Sarah said.

 _Um… um…._ "The water feels so good after being out in the cold of night, doesn't it?"

"It's nice. I haven't been up here in the fall yet." And just like that, Penny's reservoir of small talk, never large at the best of times, dried up. Sarah seemed content to wait, and Penny turned to her, hesitated. They faced each other at the same height in the water, but Sarah was standing sturdy while Penny could barely touch the bottom. She forced herself to speak up and break the silence. "Do you know why I asked you here tonight?"

Sarah grinned. "You wanted to see me in my bathing suit."

"No!" said Penny even as her mind called her a liar. She turned away, cheeks burning even against the steam.

She felt a gentle touch on her shoulder. "Hey. I was teasing you. I think there's something you want to tell me."

Penny ceded to the hand, letting it spin her around to face Sarah. She stared into Sarah's unwavering green eyes, drawing up her courage. Her heart thumped painfully in her chest. "Um… how do I say this..." She gulped, pausing for a moment before plunging onwards. "I've been meaning to tell you for a while now… about how I feel… I can't stop thinking about you. I've never felt this way about anyone."

She stopped as her eyes flicked over Sarah's face, looking for any hint or change as each fraction of a second seemed to drag on for millenia.

"I feel the same way about you," Sarah said without a trace of hesitation, and all at once her fears vanished.

"… Oh, Sarah. I thought you did, but I wasn't sure." Her breath caught as she tried to say the words she had imagined and prepared, her heart stuttering in Sarah's gaze. "You look so beautiful tonight... I…"

And then Sarah was sliding her rough hands down to pair with Penny's, leaning in as she gasped…

For all her tight muscle and roughened skin, Sarah's lips were incredibly soft and yielding. Penny drifted without a thought in her head for a few blissful moments as their bodies collided. Slowly, resentfully, she came back to herself, floating in the water holding Sarah's hands. She didn't know what to say, but there wasn't anything that needed to be said. They spent a peaceful minute together, Penny anchored by Sarah's strong arms, hoping for the moment not to end.

An owl hooted loudly just outside one of the bathhouse windows and they both started, then laughed, the moment broken. Sarah pulled Penny close and planted a kiss on her forehead before disentangling their hands.

"I have to go. I need to be up early."

"Okay…" said Penny, nervousness setting in once more.

Sarah noticed her distress. "I'll bring you your favorite tomorrow and… we'll talk about things. Maybe we can do something tomorrow night."

"Okay," said Penny, perking up. "See you."

She watched Sarah leave as her mind whirled, thinking over what had just happened, about what might happen… Nervousness welled up inside her again, but this time the kind made up equal parts of anticipation and excitement. Tomorrow! She was going to see her tomorrow!

Sarah came by and brought her a gorgeous homegrown melon while she was reading with the children at the library and they chatted a bit, but Sarah was busy that night, and the next… and the next…

Penny began to worry that the kiss in the baths had just been a dream, a fantasy her love-addled brain had cooked up. Sarah came by just as she did before that night, usually bringing a gift, chatting for a while, then heading off to her work. Her gaze was stronger, her comments a little more flirty, but always the same apologetic "no" when she asked about doing something together.

Finally, when Penny had given up on Sarah stopping by at all, she made up her mind to go over to the farmhouse herself. Filled with a sudden determination, she grabbed a flashlight and stepped out of the trailer, ignoring her mother's muffled question. She hurried along the track in the weak beam of her flashlight, reaching Sarah's farm in only a few minutes. The big farmhouse was dark, without a single window lit, and Penny hesitated. She couldn't be asleep, could she? It was barely eight o'clock. She knocked gently, and heard no response, only a faint rumble. She tried the doorknob, telling herself that she was just checking on a friend, and found it unlocked. She stepped inside, heart in her throat, and nearly swallowed her tongue when she heard a loud snore. She tiptoed over to the bedroom and peeked inside. Sarah lay sprawled across the entirety of the wide bed, over the covers with her boots still on and muddy. Slow snores came from her intermittently. Penny's heart melted. Sarah was obviously exhausted, working the farm by herself. No wonder she couldn't take a night off.

She reached out, then paused, her arm wavering. Should she…? Then her motherly instincts took over. Sarah was dead to the world, and didn't even stir as Penny slid her boots off and set them at the end of the bed. It was awkward to shift Sarah so that she could slid the blankets over her, but she had done something similar with her mother before. Asleep was actually easier than dead drunk.

She finished tucking Sarah in and turned to leave, hesitated. Sarah would probably remember not going to bed like this. It might be better to own up to it. She scrounged up a pencil in the vast kitchen and scribbled down a note on the back of a shopping list by the light of her flashlight. _Came over last night but you were asleep, thought you needed your rest. See you soon? Penny._ She set it on the table and hurried back home, mind set at ease. Soon.

It was a few days later that the fall harvest was finally completed, and Sarah invited her to come watch some movies at the farmhouse that evening. Penny put on her best makeup and her favorite clothes and stared at the same page in a book, her mind running in circles as the hours ticked by. Finally, she could see the sun setting through the trailer window, and she strode out into the chill fall air, barely registering the comment her mother made. Down the now-familiar track - it was more difficult in these shoes, she realized - and up to the farmhouse, lighted windows glowing warmly against the dying light. Penny knocked timidly, nervousness making her hands tremble. Almost immediately, the door opened to reveal Sarah, cleaned up in a nice jacket and pants and with her hair combed into something approaching a style. Penny was somewhat relieved to see Sarah looking almost as nervous as her.

"Hey," Sarah said, covering her anxiety with a smile.

"Hey," said Penny, the smile infectious. Sarah motioned her inside, and Penny marveled at the inside of the farmhouse. It was so spacious! And clean! There was an actual kitchen and dining table, the latter piled high with food. "Did you cook all of that?" she asked wonderingly. The smell of roasted meat and vegetables mixed with the sharpness of spices made her realize she had barely eaten all day.

"Yeah. Grew most of it too." Sarah grinned, pulling out a chair for Penny before sitting down herself. Neither of them were big conversationalists, and between tongue-tied nerves and the demands of their stomachs, it was a quiet and delicious meal.

"That was really good," Penny said, sitting back. The butterflies in her stomach had been tamed with food, and she felt content sitting across from Sarah. She imagined a life where she lived in this beautiful old house, where this was every night, where Sarah was hers and she was Sarah's. She wanted it so badly it almost hurt.

Sarah reached across the table and took Penny's hand in hers, startling her out of her thoughts. "Do you want to watch a movie now?" Sarah asked, and Penny nodded, not quite trusting her voice.

Sarah led her over to a loveseat opposite a huge old TV, keeping her hand clasped tight. Penny's heart thumped in her chest as Sarah settled in next to her, her warm body quite close on the small sofa. She smelled like soap and spices and plants, and Penny wanted to bury her face against that strong chest and just inhale. She settled for entwining her fingers with Sarah's rough hand and snuggling a little closer as Sarah fiddled with the remote. After fighting with the old technology for a minute, the movie started. She only vaguely gathered it was something about superheroes. It seemed incredibly distant and unimportant compared to Sarah pressed against her. As the movie went on, she nonchalantly leaned her head on Sarah's shoulder, breathing in her scent and almost feeling lightheaded as her heart hummed. She wasn't sure, really, what she wanted, or even what to expect. She had gone out with a few guys before and even had her share of fun with them, but Sarah was the first woman - the first person - who she had ever felt this _need_ for. She had already discovered that kissing Sarah was quite different. The idea of having to maybe learn everything again, of maybe disappointing Sarah, made her stomach do nervous turns. What if, what if… She looked up at Sarah, a sigh slipping from her lips, a new tenseness pervading her.

Sarah turned to Penny, concern written on her face. She stared, indecisive for a moment, then she was leaning in and cupping Penny's cheek, rough skin against feather-soft as their lips met in a clumsy kiss. Then another, and another, until they were no longer fumbling but sure, passionate touches that melted away her tension. The only thing that mattered - that existed - were those lips and that firm body against her. She twisted her fingers into Sarah's short hair, trying to force her closer, her body trembling with excitement. Penny felt Sarah's hot tongue press against her lips, seeking entry, and she eagerly yielded, muffled noises escaping her as Sarah explored her mouth. Sarah tasted sweet and spicy on her tongue, strange and new.

They broke apart, breathing heavily and staring wordlessly at each other. This time it was Penny who closed the distance, bringing their lips together once again. Time slipped by, unnoticed by the two of them. The movie played, unwatched, until Sarah shifted and sat on the remote. Then there was just the soft noises of their mouths as kiss blurred into kiss, and the fast beating of their hearts. Sarah's hands began to slide along her sides and up to her chest, fumbling at the buttons of her top. Penny's breath caught in her throat, her head dazed with kisses and her body burning with need. It felt like things were moving fast but it felt so _right_.

Sarah reached into Penny's now-open blouse, caressing the soft skin that was bared to her. Penny shivered against the pleasurable touch, sliding her own hands around Sarah's back, holding tightly to ground herself against the barrage of sensations. Without warning, she felt the loveseat drop away from her, and she made a muffled yelp against Sarah's lips. Penny wrapped her legs around Sarah, whose arms held her reassuringly steady above the ground, and held on as she was carried to the bedroom. Still the kisses continued, never letting her regain her mental balance, each touch like a white-hot spark overloading her brain. She felt the blankets against her back as she was lowered back, the kisses finally broken, then the weight of Sarah pinned her, the muscular woman kneeling over her and running her hands along Penny's body. Sarah's rough hands slipped under her bra, squeezed and held, making her gasp and moan with each touch. Penny flushed and put a hand over her mouth, trying to quiet herself. Sarah trailed kisses and little nips down her neck and down to her bared collarbone, massaging muted moans out of her all the while with her surprisingly skilled hands. Sarah shifted position, lying now to the side of Penny, her hands running down her slim body to her skirt, slipping beneath the fabric to-

Penny flinched, her body tensing, and Sarah stopped immediately, her hand retreating from the waist of her skirt. Neither one of them said anything for a few moments, catching their breath and reformulating their thoughts. Finally, Penny spoke in a small voice.

"Sorry. This is just... moving really fast. And I haven't done anything with, um, women, before." She let out a long sigh, irrational tears pricking her eyes. _Why did I have to do that? It was going so well..._

"It's okay. Really, I get it. I was going too quick." Sarah's hand found hers in the dim light of the bedroom and they lay side-by-side for a little while, cooling off from the furious passion of minutes before. Slowly, their breathing settled and their heartbeats returned to a normal pattern.

"I can walk you home, if you want," said Sarah as she began to sit up and disentangle herself from Penny. Penny thought of going home, back to the filthy trailer, waiting for another date. Having to try and sleep next to her mother with this heat Sarah had awakened between her legs. It would be the proper thing, to cut their first date off here. It would also be utterly unbearable. She reached out to Sarah's shoulder and stopped her from standing up, struggling to find words before this moment was lost for good.

"Sarah…" She trailed off, mind blank. Wordlessly, she leaned in, conveying all her need and emotion through her lips in a single white-hot kiss. When she pulled away, Sarah looked a little dumbstruck.

Finally, Penny managed to find what she wanted to say. "I want this. And you. And you aren't doing anything wrong. I just- need to go slower." She watched Sarah's face in the weak light, trying to read her expression.

"Okay. Just- please, don't make yourself do anything for my sake. I'll be fine." Sarah smiled and leaned in, bringing their lips together in a sweet, slow kiss. She pulled back after a few moments, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Do you want to be on top? Then you can do it at your pace. That might be easier."

"Yes," Penny blurted, then went red. Sarah, without comment on her eagerness, laid back down on the bed, arranging herself comfortably. Penny crawled over her until she was straddling Sarah's waist, her hands shaking slightly. The thought of exploring Sarah's body, an oft-repeated fantasy now facing her in reality, was almost overwhelming. Hesitantly, she placed her hands on Sarah's chest, feeling the firm muscle through her shirt. Penny could feel both their hearts quicken and smiled, reassured. She pulled at Sarah's loose jacket and Sarah obligingly lifted her arms and shimmied out of it. Penny tossed it off the bed and took a moment to examine Sarah's strong arms, now bared to her. She ran her hands along them, tracing the numerous scars. There were too many to be just accidents, and she realized that they must be from the mines and the monsters within. She shivered at the thought, changing her focus. With a strange feeling of déjà vu, Penny unbuttoned Sarah's shirt. It happened almost exactly as she had imagined it, exposing her plain bra, her tight, flat stomach, the extent of her farmer's tan. She trailed her hands over the smooth, warm skin, and Sarah wriggled a little under her.

Concerned, Penny paused. "Are you okay?"

Sarah grinned ruefully. "Yeah, just ticklish."

Penny stared for a moment, then giggled. The fact that this sexy, powerful woman under her was ticklish - and at her mercy - somehow made her even more lovable. She leaned down to Sarah's chest and planted a trail of kisses up from her collarbone, along her neck, up to those sweet lips where they lay locked together once again. She reached behind Sarah's back, fumbling with the hooks of her bra. She finally tugged them apart and leaned back, pulling it away as Sarah shrugged out of it. Sarah's breasts were small and pert and cute, and Penny was surprised to see Sarah looking embarrassed.

"They're tiny, I know."

Penny scoffed. "They're perfect." Impulsively, she leaned down and planted a kiss on each one. Sarah gasped softly and Penny blushed, but doubled down in her impetuousness, leaning in to wrap her lips around a nipple, her hand finding the other breast and squeezing. It was hard between her lips, and hesitantly, instinctively, she sucked at it, testing it with her tongue. She was gratified to hear Sarah moan and writhe underneath her, her hands bunching the bedsheets as Penny pleasured her. After a little while, she pulled her head back with an indecent _pop_ and smiled.

"They're so sensitive." Sarah opened her mouth to reply and moaned loudly instead as Penny leaned in towards her other breast and began to lavish it with attention. She lapped at the soft, sweet-tasting skin, nibbled and sucked at the brown bud, guessing, experimenting, learning Sarah's body and what she wanted. She fell into a state of test and repeat, adjusting to the beautiful sounds of Sarah's gasps and groans, heedless of time passing.

Sarah writhed under her, muscles tense, trying to be patient and eventually failing. "Ahh- Penny, I know I said- mmm- that you could pick your own pace, but- ahhh, fuck- I'm so wet and I _need_ you down there."

Penny pushed herself back upright, a little strand of saliva connecting her to Sarah's breast. Sarah was a hot mess underneath her, panting and red, her hair tousled from squirming. _Did… did I really do that to her? And now… she's asking me…_ "Oh. O-okay. I haven't, um, done that before. But I'll do my best."

Sarah reached out and took her hand, a smile quirking her lips. "I can take care of it myself if you don't want to. I would've, but you're lying right on top of me."

Penny shook her head. "No, no… I want to. I just want it to be good for you. But I guess I should learn, if we, um…" She trailed off as she considered what would, what could, what might happen after this night. Thoughts of the future that made her nervous and excited.

Sarah broke her out of her daydream. "Don't worry about it. You're apparently a fast learner, and you got me all worked up already."

Penny reached down to the waist of Sarah's pants, then realized how difficult it would be to get her out of them in this position. She lifted herself off Sarah and took the opportunity to shrug off her own opened blouse, leaving her in just her bra and skirt. As Sarah kicked off her pants, shoes and underwear, her haste showing just how aroused she was, Penny slowly slipped down her skirt, the cloth making a whispering sound as it cascaded around her ankles. Sarah turned and saw her, pausing as her eyes took her in, making Penny flush.

"God you're gorgeous," Sarah murmured, her voice husky with want. She reached out, pulling Penny back to the bed, peppering her face with needy kisses and banishing the blush from her cheeks. Penny ran her hands along Sarah's long legs, feeling up the toned muscle. Her fingertips touched wetness at the apex of Sarah's thighs, and she pulled herself back, shifting till she knelt between Sarah's legs. In the dim light, she could see the wet folds between Sarah's legs, a drop of arousal sliding down her inner thigh. Penny felt her own arousal flare, her own untouched heat feeling swollen with desire. Hesitantly, she leaned down, shifting to make herself more comfortable. Her face was only inches away, feeling the heat radiating off Sarah's body, and a strange pride thrilled through her. She made Sarah like this, into a panting, dripping, needy woman. She could do this.

Penny closed the gap with her tongue hesitantly outstretched, unsure of what to do or what to expect. Sarah moaned as Penny's hot tongue ran up her heat, collecting her wetness. _That… wasn't so bad._ Sarah tasted sweet and salty and like something she couldn't quite name, and she leaned in for another taste. Her tongue moved inexpertly but methodically, short and long, fast and slow, shallow or deeper, measuring her success by the moans above her. Sarah grabbed at Penny's head, entwining her fingers in her hair as she bucked her hips. Penny surprised herself by enjoying this, any hesitation or shame burned away by the heat of the moment, only Sarah's pleasure and her own unsatisfied lust occupying her mind. She moved her own hand down her body and slipped it under her wet panties, pushing two fingers into herself without resistance and curling them with practiced ease, making herself moan into Sarah as her head was forced down. She managed to find a rhythm between her own hand and Sarah's wild movements, rocked between her own pleasure and that of the woman before her.

Suddenly, Sarah's legs tightened around her head, locked behind her back and keeping her in place. Penny could feel a quivering tension in Sarah as she grew louder. Sarah tried to speak, "P-Penny- oh, like that, fuck- I'm gonna-" The rest of the sentence trailed off into a moan. Penny just moved her tongue fast, keeping pace with her own fingers as both their bodies arched in unison. Never had it been like this, not even in her fantasies, this raw, hot feeling that ran through her without words.

Sarah moaned Penny's name loudly and came, holding Penny against her. Penny received a surge of sweet wetness against her face and continued to work her tongue, lapping up Sarah's orgasm and pushing her further even as the feeling sent Penny over the edge. She shuddered with a low, muffled cry and came, fingers pumping furiously inside herself, crackling pleasure suffusing her body and sending her mind blank.

Slowly, the two of them came down from the heights of orgasm. Sarah untangled Penny from her legs, pulling her up to lay alongside, and the two of them lay breathlessly for a minute.

"That was... really good," said Sarah. "Fast… learner. Sorry… I got a little rough."

"Mmm," said Penny, drowsy and content. "It's okay."

"Did… you come?"

"Yeah," Penny murmured.

"Okay… I'll have to… pay you back for that later."

Sarah reached down and pulled up a blanket over them, and they lay in the heat of each other's bodies. Before long, they drifted off to sleep.


End file.
